Walmart Price Matching & Free Printable Grocery List

It’s Kimber from Let’s Do Some Good Today, back with a few more money-saving tips for you. This week’s lesson … saving money at Walmart!

I’ve spoken to many people who are on very tight budgets, and I have heard the same thing several times: “I don’t mess with sales and coupons. I save money by just shopping at Walmart.” And although you are probably saving a ton of money by doing that, did you know there’s a way you can save even more money at Walmart — even if you don’t mess with coupons? Today I’m going to share two of my favorite tips with you – price matching and the Savings Catcher.

Price matching at Walmart is something that I heard a lot about for a long time before I tried it. This was partly because I didn’t shop at Walmart that often, and partly because I was intimidated by it. But once I started, I began shopping at Walmart a lot more often. Because I tell you what – it is easy, and it really works!

Here’s how price matching works at Walmart. Their Ad Match Guarantee states that they will match any locally advertised sale price. So all you have to do is bring in your grocery store ad and show it to the cashier at checkout, and he or she will change the price of the item for you.

Still intimidated?

Yeah, I was too.

I used to be the kind of shopper who would go to 4 different stores in one day to get everything I needed at the lowest possible price. As a new couponer, I was home all day with my daughter. She loved to get out and shop, and I’m blessed to have a lot of different stores within a 10 mile radius of me. But over the past 6 years, life has become much busier (and gas has become more expensive). It’s not really worth my time to store-hop to find the best deals. I hesitantly decided to try price matching. And guess what? It’s EASY!

When I started, I really wished I had someone to walk me through the process, but I didn’t. So that’s what I’m going to do for you today! Here ya go, Price Matching 101:

1. When I get my weekly grocery ads in the mail, I go through them once with a black Sharpie. Any great deals, I circle.
2. I make my shopping list for the week. Often, I will base my meals on what is on sale. (Bell peppers and onions are on sale? I’ll make fajitas. Ground beef on sale? Tacos and hamburgers this week.) Next to each item that I’ll price match, I will write down the name of the store that I’m price matching and the price it’s advertised at.
3. *Bonus step* If my list is really long, particularly if I’m going to be shopping with my kids, I will actually re-write my list, organizing it by section of the store. I know that sounds like a royal pain. But it truly only takes a moment or two (refrigerated, cleaning products, produce, etc.), and it is MUCH easier than going back and forth across the store because I forgot to grab something the first time. {Click here for your Free Printable Grocery List Organizer to help with this! Print it off and hang it on your refrigerator. When you run out of something, write it down on this list so you can remember what you need! Then take it with you to the grocery store so you can get everything in one shot! It is a LIFE saver!}
   
4. Shop!
5. When it’s time to check out, I first put the things on the conveyer belt that I’m not price matching. I always tell the cashier ahead of time that my last items will be price matched so they don’t accidentally start grabbing and scanning things. (Sometimes they’ll do that, trying to be helpful, to keep the cold items together.) When we get to the price matched items, the cashier will pick up an item and ask me how much it costs, and what store I’m matching. They scan the item, push a button, and override the price.

IT’S LIKE MAGIC.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

* Many cashiers don’t even ask to see the ad. But occasionally, they’ll need to check (particularly if the price is significantly reduced). That’s why I write down the store’s name on my list, and also why I circle things in Sharpie. It only takes a few seconds to verify the ad when I’m prepared.

* Walmart will price match almost anything, but it has to be priced in the same manner. For instance, if my local Aldi had a 3 pound bag of oranges on sale for $2, and my Walmart sold loose oranges for 50 cents each, I wouldn’t be able to price match them. But if my Walmart sold oranges at a per-pound price, I could price match – I would just tell the cashier, “They’re 3 pounds for $2.” The register will do the math for you.

* If you’re still a little bit nervous about price matching, just try one or two items at first, and if possible, go during a time of day that isn’t very busy. Some cashiers are more friendly than others, but I have never run across someone who gave me a hard time about price matching. In fact, I often have cashiers admire how much money I am able to save with a few extra minutes of effort.

So there we go – the magic of price matching! On to step two … the Savings Catcher!

Another program Walmart has instituted is their Savings Catcher program. When you’re done shopping, enter your receipt info at https://savingscatcher.walmart.com/ (it only takes a minute), or download the Walmart app on your smartphone and scan the barcode at the bottom of your receipt (even faster). That’s it! Within a few days, your receipt will have been compared to the sales ads in your area, and if any of the stores have a lower advertised price than what you’ve paid, they credit the difference back to your account! You can cash it out for a Walmart gift card.

Um, so Kimber, if the Savings Catcher program is so simple, why am I going to bother price matching?

Well, good question. My simplest answer: Because it might not catch everything. Remember the example about the oranges? If my Aldi sold a 3 pound bag of oranges, and I bought several pound of loose oranges, my Walmart would honor “3 pounds @ $2” as a valid price. But if I bought 5 pounds of loose oranges, the Savings Catcher would probably miss it, since they’re comparing it to the advertised 3 pound bag.

The Savings Catcher app is still an awesome backup, though! Sometimes you might not notice an item for sale in your grocery store ads. You might not have access to sale fliers for every single store in your local area. Or you might end up making a last-minute trip to the store and you don’t have time to scan your ads. In that case, the Savings Catcher is an excellent backup!

So here’s a summary: Before you go to Walmart, find out what is on sale locally. Price-match at the register. Then scan your receipt afterwards and see if you missed anything. Save lots of money, and have the BEST day!

Those are our two tips for the day! Do you have any questions? Please feel free to ask!

Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day!

October 14, 2014 by Danielle Davis | 16 Comments